This invention relates generally to the field of cooking implements, and more particularly to the field of cooking implements comprising pans, pots, skillets or similar implements wherein a quantity of water can be heated to become steam, and even more particularly applies to such cooking implements wherein food is cooked using steam.
Items as described in general above are well known and are typically referred as “steamers” or “steam cookers”. The use of steam to cook foods for consumption, as opposed to the process for sterilization of food, has long been known. The use of steam provides a moist, high-temperature environment in which to cook many food items, including meats, vegetables, seafood, eggs, etc. In steam cooking, the food is not placed into fatty oils or butters which add unnecessary and unhealthy calories and substances to the food, nor is the food subject to charring that may occur from grilling, barbequing or other cooking methods where the food directly contacts flame or hot metal, which charring may result in the formation of carcinogens in the food. Furthermore, steam cooking allows for fats and oils present in the food product to drain away, thereby reducing the amount of unhealthy components naturally present in the food.
It is an object of this invention to provide a novel, distinct and improved steam cooking apparatus and system over and above the known apparatuses and systems.